WESTMINSTER : Complaints Aired by Public Defenders

Public defenders in West Municipal Court in Westminster said Monday that cramped working conditions and heavy caseloads have made it increasingly difficult to adequately represent their clients.

Because of limited office space, public defenders sometimes have to resort to interviewing clients in hallways and file rooms.

“Under these conditions, client confidentiality goes out the window,” said Deputy Public Defender Sharon Petrosino Monday. “It’s hard to do our job this way.”

The comments by Petrosino and other lawyers came as the office received an award for meritorious service, presented by Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove).

Pringle, who said the lawyers are doing “wonderful work” despite the problems, toured the office and urged the attorneys to pressure the County Board of Supervisors to seek improvements.

Throughout the office, filing cabinets with confidential documents have been moved into hallways, the lobby and other unsecured areas to provide for more working space, attorneys said.

“We’re trying to use every available square foot . . . but it gets frustrating at times,” said Tim A. Severin, another deputy public defender who heads the West Court office.

Some attorneys said that because they must handle nearly 1,000 misdemeanor cases a year, they cannot always devote enough time to some clients’ cases.

“The American Bar Assn. recommends that attorneys handle no more than 300 cases a year; we’re overworked,” Petrosino said.

Severin said that in addition to the adverse working conditions, Orange County public defenders’ salaries are the lowest among the state’s nine largest counties--a fact which has also made it difficult to find and keep qualified candidates.